DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF

S. MEYER'S CHARACTERS… UNFORTUNATELY.

I JUST PLAY WITH THEM.

Blood In The Snow Chapter 17

Previously:

JBPOV

I get lucky and get a window seat, with no one beside me, on the flight to Seattle. I didn't tell Charlie Swan I'm coming out. I plan to just show up at his office and invite him out for lunch, with the cover story that I'm taking some vacation time and need him to tell me the best fishing holes in the area. Once we're clear, I'll tell him the whole story. Maybe together, we can ferret them out and get justice for Jasper and his family.

JBPOV

The long flight from Chicago to Seattle gives me plenty of time to work out my cover story. I'll just show up at Charlie's office in the morning, announce that I've taken some time off and ask him to give me some advise on good fishing spots in the area. I'll offer to take him to breakfast and get him out of the station so we can talk privately. Yeah, that will work. With my plan settled in my mind, I fluff the skimpy pillow that the airline provides and try to get a little sleep. Chasing the sun this way, I'm gonna loose several hours, so I'd better grab some sleep while I can.

"Sir. We're beginning our descent to Sea Tac." The flight attendant gently shook my shoulder.

I smiled sleepily up at her. "Thank you. How much time before we land?" I stretched, raising my seat back up to the upright position.

"You've got about half an hour before you need to remain in your seat. I thought you might want a little time to freshen up before we land." She gave me a big smile. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Oh… that would be great!" I grinned at her, clambering out of the seat, heading down the aisle to the restrooms to wash up a bit. Flying in such a tightly enclosed space always made me feel grimy.

By the time I got back to my seat, we still had about twenty minutes to go. The attendant left my coffee, along with the packets of creamer and sugar on my little drop down table. I glanced toward the front of the plane as I sat down, catching her eye, smiling my thanks. Adding both the creamer and sugar, because let's face it… airline coffee is just NOT good… I sipped it carefully so as not to burn all my taste buds off. It might not taste all that good, but the caffeine hitting my blood stream sure helped. The pilot made his customary announcement regarding the location, the temperature and the local time and thanked us all for flying with their airline, then switched on the 'Seatbelt' signs.

I finished my coffee, handing the cup to the attendant trolling the aisles for everyone's trash. Latching the tray table back up and making sure I am securely belted in, I watch out the window as the ground seems to rush up at us. Mind you, I'm fine flying, I just don't like the take off and landing bits. As usual, Seattle is blanketed in dreary gray cloud cover. For such a beautiful part of the country, it's a shame that it's hidden in the clouds so often, on clear days, Mt. Rainier is spectacular.

As the plane pulls up to the terminal, I sit patiently, letting the other passengers vie for space in the narrow aisles. Thankfully, I only have my carry-on luggage to deal with, so I can bypass the carrousels and head straight for the car rental kiosk.

Driving out of the rental pick up area, I am amazed at how efficiently the agent handled everything. That has to be the fastest I've ever gotten out of one of these places. Have to admit it certainly put a smile on my face and started my day out quite nicely. Hope everything else goes just as easily. I find myself smiling as I negotiate the small SUV through the traffic into the city. The onboard GPS makes finding my hotel a snap. As I pull into the covered entrance, a valet hurries over to assist.

"Just park it close by, I have to go back out in an hour or so." I hand him the keys.

"Sure thing, sir." He jumps in the SUV and pulls it off to the side.

Grabbing my bag, I walk into the lobby and over to the check-in desk. A rather vacuous looking dirty blonde woman stood behind the desk, looking me over like a piece of meat. Gross. I'm sure she meant her smile to be both alluring and sexy, but it sent a shudder down my spine and a knot to my stomach.

"Welcome to Seattle, Sir!" She chirped at me. "How may I assist you?"

Pulling out my wallet to retrieve my credit card, I stepped to the counter. "Jacob Black. I have a reservation."

Looking at her computer screen, she located my reservation quickly. "Ah, yes… here it is. A single, small suite… for just one night?" She peered up at me.

"You know, I might need the room an extra day or two. Would it be possible to keep it for the next three days?"

"No problem at all!" She made the adjustments in her computer, took my credit card information, programmed my keycard and then handed me the slip to sign. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Black… anything at all?"

Oh lord, there's that awful grimace again. "No, that takes care of everything… oh… just point me to the elevators." I glanced around.

"Just to your left, around the corner. When you get to the ninth floor, take a right, down the corridor to your room."

"Thanks." I picked up my bag and made my escape. I had to wonder if her 'smile' ever worked on any man. Can't imagine it would, but you never know.

The room was a pleasant surprise. Spacious sitting area, with the bed partitioned off for privacy. A small kitchen area with a microwave and coffeepot on one wall, complete with packets of coffee, the fixings and even a couple of tea bags. There is a small balcony with a couple of loungers to sit out and enjoy the scenery. Nice.

I quickly unpack, putting my things away. Looking at my watch, I see it's nearly nine… Charlie Swan should be in his office by now.

As I walked in to the busy squad room, I could see through the large windows around Charlie Swan's office, that he was definitely in. He looked up, saw me, then did a double take, a huge grin stretching his face. He jumped up, coming around his desk and threw his door open. "Jacob Black! This is a surprise." He grabbed my hand, shaking it enthusiastically. "I didn't know you were in town. Did I miss a message?"

"Hey, Charlie. Good to see you, too. No, I've got a couple weeks vacation and I remembered that you'd told me the best fishing in the world was up in this neck of the woods."

He waved me in to his office and to a chair. "That's for sure. I can tell you all the best places to go. Hey. I've got a few days off coming to me… I could show you, if you'd like the company."

"That'd be great."

We sat and talked about our fishing trip while Charlie made arrangements to take off the next couple of days. He was so excited, I really hated to have to ruin it for him. But, it was the only way I could figure to get him alone without causing suspicion. Once all the plans were made, he introduced me to several members of his squad, then we went off to breakfast. I decided to wait until we were on our trip to bring up the subject of the mole in his department.

After breakfast, Charlie went back to work with a promise to meet me at my hotel at five am tomorrow for our fishing trip. I head back to the hotel to pack up a few things to take with me. I figure we'll just spend a day or so out fishing. Once Charlie and I talk about the leak in his department, I suspect he'll want to come back and start the search as soon as possible.

The throwaway phone I bought before leaving Chicago rings and vibrates in my pocket. "Yeah."

"Jake… "

"Yeah, Sam?"

"I did what you told me to… I told Aro's boys that I'd heard that Jasper was being moved to somewhere back here in Chicago."

"They buy it?"

"Don't know. I made sure to tell them that I couldn't be positive, but that was what I'd overheard."

"Good. That way if their guy here tells them different, you're still covered. Anything else?" Sam was quiet for so long I thought I'd lost the connection. "Sam? You there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here." He was quiet again for a few seconds. "Listen, Jake, man… I'm really sorry about all this. It got out of hand so fast."

"I know, Sam. But you should have come to me… you know that."

"Yeah, I do."

"Just keep doing your job and we'll work it all out after this mess is cleaned up." I rubbed my face in frustration. His career was over, but if possible, I'd like to keep him out of prison. "I'm going to be out of Seattle for a day or two. Don't know if there will be phone coverage where I'm gonna be. If you can't reach me, leave voicemail and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

"Okay, will do."

"Later, Sam." I disconnected the call, tossing the phone over beside the bag I was taking with me. Stretching out across the king-sized bed, I thought about Sam. He was a good man. I just wish he'd come to me for help. I'm thankful that he appears to be the sole source of information out of my department. I'm sure there are others in other sections, but hopefully they pass out different information.

I must have dosed off. Stretching, I see that the sun is going down. Good grief… I've slept the day away. Sitting up, I grab the phone and call down for room service to bring up a burger and fries for dinner. While I wait for the food, I jump in the shower.

Dressed in just sleep pants, a damp towel draped across my shoulders, I answer the knock on the door. The girl rolls the cart into the room, leaving the covers on my food so it will stay hot. I see her ogling my bare chest as I sign the room service slip, adding a substantial tip for her.

"Thank you, Mr. Black." Her smile lights up the room. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

I look at her for a minute, watching as her blush rises from under her collar, up her long throat, across her cheeks to the tips of her ears. What a beautiful girl. I wouldn't mind getting to know her a little bit better. "I wouldn't mind a little company later on… after your shift… if you'd be interested?"

She blushed once again, ducking her head and looking up at me through her eyelashes. "I get off at eight."

"Will you come back… ?"

"Jessica." She looked at me again. "Yes, I will." She slipped out of my room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Hmmm… this night is certainly looking up. A pretty girl's company and if I'm lucky… I just might get lucky. I chuckled as I sit down to eat dinner and then wait for pretty little Miss Jessica to come by. Business can wait until tomorrow.

AN: I'll get back to our boys in another chapter or so. Right now, I need to get the process of making them safe going. Thanks so much for all your reviews! Sorry I took so long on this chapter. By the way... went to the World Premiere of Jackson Rathbone's latest movie tonight, "Cowgirls and Angels"...it was wonderful! He was there with most of the cast and afterwards they all were available for photos and autographs. I got to spend about 15 minutes talking to Jackson. He's so sweet and down to earth. Just a real Texas gentlemam! Go see the movie!